Micromanagers have a hard time trusting others to make decisions and do work on their own. Working under a micromanager who’s constantly looking over your shoulder can be frustrating and time consuming. To create a better, more productive work environment for you and your boss, have a conversation with your micromanager. Be sure to also think about your own performance to see if you’ve given your boss any reason to micromanage you.

Steps

Method1

Encouraging Your Boss to Back off

1

Schedule a time to talk to your boss. It’s important to have a one-on-one, in-person conversation with your boss about this issue. Don’t just start chatting about the micromanagement in the break room. Make sure you bring it up during time that’s dedicated just to this.[1]

Be open and honest, but also polite during your meeting. This will encourage your boss to listen to what you have to say without getting angry or defensive.

Open the meeting by saying something like: “I’ve noticed that you use hands-on, involved management with my work. I’d like to make sure that I’m doing everything I can to provide you with the best work possible, and that I’m not taking up too much of your time by requiring you to give me this much oversight.”

2

Make a list of times when micromanagement limited productivity. More than anything else, your boss wants good work to get done quickly. It’s likely that your boss’ micromanagement has actually slowed down your process. Be prepared to give specific examples of each time your boss’ management style led to inefficiency (and lost money for the company).[2]

Don’t make this list sound like a series of accusations. Instead, use it to demonstrate that you can handle your assignments.

You could say something like: “I know that for our most recent project, you logged about 3 hours double-checking my work. Were there consistent problems you found during this check?”

3

Ask your boss how you can improve. If you ask your boss for suggestions, this will feel more like a back-and-forth conversation. This should add a friendly tone to the room. Your boss may also feel more comfortable backing off once they’ve provided you with really specific details about how they like things done.[3]

Try: “I really admire how you’ve advanced in this company over the past several years. I hope to follow a similar path. Based on my work so far, could you give me some advice on how I might be able to do that?”

4

Tell your boss you’ll give updates in return for independence. Your boss’ micromanagement may come from their fear that your screw-up could become something they have to deal with. Help them overcome this worry by agreeing to provide weekly updates on ongoing projects. You’ll be trading constant micromanagement for something limited that you can control.[4]

These could be emailed updates, conference calls, or even in-person meetings.

5

Schedule one-one-one meetings to check in with one another. In addition to more frequent updates on projects, see if your boss would also be willing to do monthly or bi-monthly check-ins. These could be broader meeting where they have the opportunity to comment on your work.[5]

Try not to get frustrated by having to agree to check-in meetings. Look at them as opportunities to learn from someone in a higher position than you (even if you don’t like their management style). And remember, limiting micromanagement is better than dealing with it all the time.

6

Create a trial period for your boss to adjust their management style. If your boss is surprised or even resistant during your conversation, ask if they’re willing to change things up for a month or two. Suggest providing updates and having meetings while you take the wheel on projects.[6]

Maybe no other downtrodden employee has ever been brave enough to bring up this problem. You could be the first! In that case, your manager might simply need a little time to adjust.

The trial period is a great way to show your boss how wonderful a micromanagement-free workplace can be. Be sure to be on your game during the trial.

Bring up the trial period by saying: “I’d really like to test out a new approach for a few months, if you’re on board. I believe it could speed up our process, and I’ll ensure that the quality of our work remains high.”

7

Look for other job opportunities if no changes occur. Your boss may be unwilling to budge. If this is the case, the workplace could become damaging to your self-esteem and mental health. Start searching online job boards and websites like LinkedIn to find new career possibilities.[7]

Try to give any new job at least a year before moving on. This will look better on your resume, and your boss will be more likely to give you a good reference.

Method2

Managing Your Frustration

1

Leave work at work to give yourself a break. Don’t spend all your time obsessing about problems you’re having at work. This could lead to lots of anxiety, lost sleep or appetite, and feelings of sadness or hopelessness. Take your time at home to unwind and be with your family and friends.[8]

2

Set rules for yourself to keep your schedule balanced. It’s important that you don’t work yourself to death to try to satisfy your micromanager. Stick to your scheduled hours, and make sure you’re not skipping breaks or lunches.[9]

If you don’t have regularly scheduled breaks, add a strategic one to your daily schedule. Take 10 minutes in the afternoon when your energy is really down. Go up and and down the hallway a few times, breathing deeply as you walk.

3

Remind yourself of reasons you enjoy your work. As frustrated as you are, there’s a reason you applied for and got this job. Make a list of the reasons why you like the job, putting stars next to things that you find especially rewarding. Keep this list on your desk and glance at it when you’re feeling upset.

4

Try to understand your boss’ reasons for micromanagement. It’s important to empathize with your boss. They may be micromanaging you or everyone in the office because they’re running up against a tough deadline or are feeling pressured by their own boss. Put yourself in their shoes and remember that you’re all on the same team.[10]

5

Hang out with your co-workers outside the office. Getting to know your officemates may really help you feel better at work. While you shouldn’t gossip about other people at work, take some time to share your mutual frustrations and challenges. You all may be struggling with the same things.[11]

Be sure to keep these conversations out of the office.

Talking to each other in this way may help you all think about strategies for creating a better workplace environment, such as having group meetings to talk about team success.

6

Do yoga or other exercise routines to relax. Being stressed at work creates a lot of tension and unspent energy in your body. Be sure to release this by doing yoga, going for a 20-minute walk or jog, or taking an exercise class at least a few times per week.[12]

Method3

Checking on Your Own Performance

1

See if anyone else is being micromanaged. It’s important for you to figure out whether this is general problem, or one that only you’re having with your boss. If it’s happening to everyone, it’s likely your boss’ management style. If it’s just you, your boss’ micromanagement might be happening because they have a problem with your work.[13]

2

Ask yourself if you’ve made mistakes recently. If you’ve recently screwed up (even if it was a mistake that seemed small to you), your boss could simply be watching to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Small and big errors can sometimes cause huge problems for companies. Be patient while you wait to regain your boss’ trust with high-quality work.[14]

3

Ensure that you’re giving your job your full attention. Even if you’re getting your work done on time, maybe you’re not getting to the office right when it opens. If so, your boss could feel like you’re distracted or don’t care about your job. Refocus your attention on work and see if this shifts your boss’ attitude toward you.[15]

If you’re supposed to work a set number of hours and you’re meeting those hours, don’t go overboard trying to impress your boss. If they want to pay you overtime, that’s one thing. If not, it’s time to have that conversation about backing off a bit.

4

Check if you and your manager have different work styles. Observe what you wear to work versus what your boss wears. Check out each of your offices. If one of you is super neat and the other tends to be messy, your boss could be judging your appearance and/or work style. You can either accept this or have a conversation about it.[16]

If you’re new to this job, you may want to wait a bit while they get used to you. Once they see how brilliant you are, they might back off naturally.

5

Ask for a performance review to pinpoint the problem. Your manager may have specific feedback for you that could explain why they’ve been observing your work so closely. If you don’t ask for that feedback, you may not get it.[17]

Performance reviews are often automatically scheduled once or twice per year. Instead of waiting for that meeting, ask for one in the next week or so.

6

Wait a few months if you’re new. If you’ve just started this job, expect a little extra hand-holding. You may feel like you don’t need it, and this time could be frustrating for you. Still, it’ll take a while for people to know they can trust you. Be patient.[18]

Wait at least three months at a new job before you begin investigating alternate sources of the micromanagement.

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Community Q&A

Take a hard look at your management style. If you're constantly interfering in your employees' work, your employee is likely right. Try to adjust by giving people more independence to do their jobs on their own.

I am on my third day of training and my boss is already picking out my mistakes, how do I handle this with a response?

wikiHow Contributor

Maybe your boss is not using the best tactics in his approach, but your boss is probably trying to help you become a better employee by letting you know what your mistakes are. Don't take it personally. If your mistakes go unchecked, you cannot become a valued employee and probably won't be there long.